Method of pre-washing and after-washing tuberous products or peeling thereof and an apparatus for performing the method

ABSTRACT

In a method and apparatus for washing or peeling tuberous products including providing a bed of rotatable driven brushes in a container, supplying liquid into the container such that the undersides of the brushes extend into the liquid, disposing the tuberous products onto the brushes at one end of the bed and rotating the brushes to transport the tuberous products to the other end of the bed while cleaning the tuberous products, the improvement comprising contacting the tuberous products above the bed and along the length of the bed to slow down the transport speed of the tuberous products without decreasing the rotational speed of the brushes. The step of contacting comprises providing a plurality of freely pivotable flaps, brushes, grinding rolls, a brush plate an endless belt with cleats or the like above the brushes, with the lower ends thereof spaced apart from the tops of the brushes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of washing or peeling tuberousproducts including providing a bed of rotatable driven brushes in acontainer, supplying liquid into the container such that the undersidesof the brushes extend into the liquid, disposing the tuberous productsonto the brushes at one end of the bed and rotating the brushes totransport the tuberous products to the other end of the bed whilecleaning the tuberous products.

In a similar method disclosed in the over 100 year old German patent No.21.358 the brushes are rotated relatively slowly and the tuberousproducts are transported by means of beaters disposed above the brushes.Washing takes place in this known method substantially by means of thebrushes, while said beaters certainly do not handle the products gently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve this known methodand apparatus.

To this effect, the method according to the present invention ischaracterized by comprising contacting the tuberous products above thebed and along the length of the bed to slow down the transport speed ofthe tuberous products without decreasing the rotational speed of thebrushes.

The step of contacting comprises providing a plurality of freelypivotable flaps, brushes, grinding rolls, a static brush plate, anendless belt with cleats or the like above the brushes with the lowerends thereof spaced apart from the tops of the brushes. By using a brushplate and/or grinding rolls on the upper- or underside of the productpath it is also possible to peel tuberous products.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for washing tuberousproducts having a container, a brush bed for the container including aplurality of rotatably driven brushes, means for supplying liquid to thecontainer to dispose liquid at the underside of the brushes and meansfor inputting tuberous products at one end of the bed and fordischarging cleaned tuberous products at the other end of the bed whichhave been transported in response to the rotation of the brushes, saidapparatus being characterized by means disposed above the bed and spacedtherefrom for contacting the tuberous products on the bed to slow downthe transport speed of the tuberous products without decreasing therotational speed of the brushes.

The apparatus according to the invention is further characterized inthat the contacting means comprises a plurality of flaps, grinding rollsrotatably mounted on a top end and endless belt with cleats or a staticbrush plate, with the lower end thereof spaced apart from the tops ofthe brushes.

The lower end of the flaps, brushes, grinding rolls or the static brushplate can be adjustable in relation to the said first brushes: in thisway an adaptation to the diameter of the tuberous products is possibleand adjustment of the retention time is possible.

In a further elaboration of the invention the means for supplying liquidcomprises means for spraying fresh liquid from above the brushes at theother end of the bed.

When the container is downwardly tapering and is provided at its bottomwith a valve by means of which the dirt accumulated at the bottom of thetapering container can be discharge, a supply device for clean liquid,such as water, can be arranged near the discharge end of the brushconveyor so that any dirt present on the products to be discharged canbe removed therefrom in a simple manner, e.g. foam, which is produced asa result of the starch formed when use is made of the apparatus as aafter-washer for e.g. steamed potatoes.

A number of vertical partitions may be arranged in the container, sothat the turbulence is minimized and a good settlement is obtained.

The container may have an overflow in a known manner.

The brushes can be driven in a known manner by a motor, viz. by means ofa reduction gearbox and a mutual transmission including one of chains, ageared belt transmission or a geared transmission or driving thebrushes, mean for adjusting the rotational speed of the brushes to slingthe water off the brushes against the tuberous products while thetuberous products fall back on the brushes. The rotation speed of thebrushes may be adjustable in such a manner that the water on the onehand is properly slung off the brushes against the tuberous productsbeing treated, but the tuberous products on the other hand fall back onthe brushes.

A detailed description of the brushes and their arrangement on the bedis given in Applicants' U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,952, describing a brushconveyor a great many parts of which can also be employed in thepre-washer and afterwasher according to the present invention.

For the sake of completion, it is pointed out that there is also known apre-washing and after-washing apparatus, comprising a rotating cageconsisting of a cylinder whose wall is perforated or consists of bars.Centrally disposed in the cage is a sprayer pipe having a plurality ofnozzles. Such an apparatus, however, is not effective, anymore than thatdisclosed in the above German patent, when used as a pre-washer forremoving clay and the like from a tuberous product or when used as anafter-washer for removing a slimy starch layer from the steamed product.

The known apparatus has a drawback that comparatively much sprayingwater is needed for removing clay or the like, when used as apre-washer, or starch, when used as an after-washer.

In the past, it has been tried to reduce the water consumption byrecycling the water, but these efforts have all failed as a result ofthe clogging of the nozzles.

Another major drawback of the known apparatus is that spraying takesplace in one or a few points only.

Three embodiments of the pre-washer and afterwasher of a peelingapparatus according to the present invention will now be described, byway of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a pre-washer and after-washer;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view according to FIG. 1 of a part of a peelingapparatus; and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a further embodiment according tothe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in the drawings, a pre-washing and afterwashing apparatus fortuberous products, such as potatoes, comprises a funnel-shaped container1 received in a frame 2, basically consisting of four adjustable legs 3and a window-shaped upper frame 4, on which are arranged a plurality ofbrushes 7 mounted on shafts 6 by means of bearings 5. The brushes aredriven by a motor and reduction gearbox, not shown, driving thetandem-disposed shafts 6 by means of a chain casing 8. As shown in thedrawing, the container with the window-shaped frame 4 is provided at thetop with an upper portion 9 having in FIG. 1, as viewed on the left, asupply opening 10 and on the opposite side a discharge opening 11.

The upper portion 9 is shut off at its top by a cover 12 connectedrotatably to the upper portion 9 by means of a pivot 13. Rubber flaps orslabs 14 arranged in the top of the upper portion 9 are accessible viaan opened cover 12. The flaps are slabs 14 are each attached to a shaft15 and are provided outwardly of said upper portion 9 with a lever 16.The bottoms of the levers are connected rotatably to rods 17 one end ofwhich is connected to an adjustment mechanism, not shown, since this maybe both a hand-operated mechanism and a servo-operated mechanism, or amechanism operated differently.

As further shown in the drawings, the upper portion 9 adjacent thedischarge end 11 is provided with two rubber slabs 18 connected fixedlyto the upper portion. Between said slabs 18 are arranged one or moresprinklers 19 having a supply pipe 20 for the supply of fresh water. Byarranging the supply device at this location, the treated tuberousproducts are washed clean just before leaving the apparatus via thebarred plate 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, container 1 is provided with an overflow tube 22,allowing to maintain a given water level in a simple manner. Besides,the bottom of container 1 is provided with a discharge peep 23 wherein avalve 24 is disposed for discharging the settled dirt. In order toensure a good proceeding of the settlement of the dirt removed from theproducts, there are arranged a plurality of vertical baffles 25 at thetop in container 1, said baffles braking the turbulence of the waterproduced by the rotating brushes 7 (the direction of rotation thereof isindicated by an arrow).

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, substantially corresponding tothe embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the same parts have identical referencenumerals. The differences consist in that instead of the rubber flaps orslabs 14, use is made of a brush plate 30 adjustable verticallyrelatively to the cover 23 by means of lead screws and nuts 31 and 32,respectively.

This vertical adjustability is represented by a double arrow 33. Byusing a brush plate with comparatively harder or tougher hair, "peeling"can be effected excellently with the apparatus according to theinvention: as compared with known peeling apparatus, moreover, theadvantage is obtained that also "deeper" portions of the product to betreated are peeled. Instead of a brush plate, use can also be made ofone or more grinding discs, rotary brushes or the like.

The third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, substantially corresponds tothe embodiment of FIG. 1 and thus the same parts have the same referencenumerals. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the flaps are replaced by anendless belt 35 which runs over return rollers 37. At least one of therollers 37 is driven to move the lower portion of the belt 35 from leftto right in the drawing. The belt 35 has a plurality of cleats 36depending therefrom and extending downwardly, when disposed belowrollers 37, with the lowermost edges thereof disposed just above thebed. The cleats are preferably flexible and composed of a syntheticplastic material. In operation, the bottom portion of the belt 35 movesfrom left to right at a speed which is substantially slower than that ofthe brushes 7 so that the residence time of the potatoes being washed isincreased even when the speed of the brushes is increased.

It will be clear that a great many alterations are possible with regardto structural details, without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. For instance, instead of a chain transmission, also a gearedtransmission or a geared belt transmission may be employed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of washing or peeling tuberous productscomprising: providing a bed of rotatably driven elements in a containerand wherein the elements define a top surface of the bed, supplyingliquid into the container to only partially submerge the elements sothat only the undersides of the elements extend into the liquid,disposing the tuberous products on the top surface of the bed at one endof the bed; transporting the tuberous products from the one end of thebed to another end of the bed solely by rotating the elements; andwashing or peeling the tuberous products by adjusting the rotationalspeed of the elements to sling liquid off the elements against thetuberous products and by slowing down the transport speed of thetuberous products from said one end of the bed to said another endthereof without decreasing the rotational speed of the elements solelyby contacting the tuberous products along the length of the bed withgenerally downwardly extending cleats disposed entirely above the topsurface of the bed and having lowermost ends spaced above the topsurface of the bed.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecleats are flexible.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecleats move from said one end to the other end of the bed on an endlessbelt.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of supplyingliquid comprises recirculating dirty liquid into the container andspraying fresh liquid onto the tuberous products at the other end of thebed.
 5. An apparatus for washing or peeling tuberous products, saidapparatus comprising: a container; a bed in the container including aplurality of rotatably driven elements and wherein the elements define atop surface of the bed; means for supplying liquid to the containerbelow the elements to only partially submerge the elements such thatonly the underside of the elements extend into the liquid; means forinputting tuberous products onto the top surface of the bed at one endof the bed; means for discharging cleaned tuberous products at anotherend of the bed; means for transporting the tuberous products from saidone end of the bed to said another end of the bed solely comprising therotation of the elements; and means for washing or peeling the tuberousproducts comprising means for adjusting the rotational speed of theelements to sling liquid off the elements against the tuberous productsand means for slowing down the transport speed of the tuberous productswithout decreasing said rotational speed of the elements solelycomprising an endless belt, means for moving a lower portion of theendless belt from said one end of the bed to the other end and cleatsextending generally downwardly from the lower end of the belt forcontacting the tuberous products along the length of the bed entirelyabove the top surface of the bed and with lowermost ends spaced abovethe top surface of the bed.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5,wherein the cleats are flexible.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 5,wherein the means for supplying liquid comprises means for sprayingfresh liquid from above the bed of brushes at said another end of thebed.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the container has aplurality of vertical baffles.